#DawningInKorea: KPOP-ing

안녕하세요! As a start of the #DawningInKorea blogging series, here’s an entry on travel experience in Changwon with my “언니”s: AJ and Danielle.

The meeting point was at the Masan Fish Market. Waking up at 7AM, we had to rush since the bus from Gumi to Masan leaves at exactly 9AM. Filipino time doesn’t apply here! Luckily, we arrived just in time: 8:58AM. Guess what? Our bus left at 8:59! The estimated time of travel is 2 hours, but we arrived 20 minutes earlier. Since the meeting time is set to be at 1PM, we waited at a coffee shop in Rivera Hotel known as Bono Cafe Coffee House. As soon as the K-Travel Bus arrived from Seoul, we met the other participants who were from USA, Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc. Most of them are English teachers and exchange students also. We had a great lunch at the restaurant called Motdae. We were served with bountiful amounts of food: black rice, different kinds of fish, soup, and Korean side dishes! Our growling stomachs were truly tamed by the time we finished eating.

Sadly, it was a rainy day! We were handed out some raincoats so as to be kept dry throughout the tour. A tour guide led us in the Street of Imagination (상상길)! There are a lot of shops in this street. However, its highlight is its road filled with blocks where names of international tourists and Korean celebrities are engraved. Moreover, as we strolled on the imaginary road, some galleries and mini museums were spotted as well. To experience one of the artsy features of this walking tour, we went to the Chang Dong Gallery where we made brooches on glasses made in Germany. The mini art project took about 45 minutes which was fun! Then, off to walking again to Garosu-gil where photo-ops were perfect! It was a street where coffee shops and art shops flocked.

Hopping on the bus again, we went to the famous Changwon House where we experienced a tea ceremony. The place gave off a traditional vibe with serenity. The culture and customs of Koreans were well displayed in this destination.

After having grilled bulgogi for dinner, everyone was excited for the K-POP World Festival! Since I am not a K-POP fan, I was looking forward to see what the hype’s all about. ‘K-POP World Festival in Changwon’ is a festival where global K-POP fans from 66 countries and 82 cities who had passed the preliminaries of the K-POP audition contest are invited to perform, along with celebratory performances by various K-POP stars. Ate AJ and Ate Dani were both fangirls of the idols coming to the event. They even rehearsed the lyrics of the songs so as to prepare for the concert. As soon as we reached the Changwon Sports Complex, we felt the heat of the moment where everyone in the concert bursted out high levels of energy! It was a great concert where BTS, EXID, TWICE, Monsta X, Astro, DJ Koo, AND Just Jerk performed. I finally understood why everyone is much into K-POP!

As the concert ended, we headed to our bus where we were dropped off at Crown Hotel to spend the night. The twin room was very pleasant and the breakfast buffet was also good. At around half past nine, we set off to the NFRDI Environmental Eco Park. We were introduced to different species of trees and flowers. It is a very environmental friendly tourist spot where we experienced nature as it is.

Jinhae Original Downtown was our final destination. We went on a walk around the area then went to the museum. In order to reach the museum, we had to either walk the flight of stairs or ride the monorail. Obviously, we took the monorail! The view was splendid. As we entered the museum, we were presented with the historical background of the area. It has a rich history. Today, it is a beautiful place where you can see best of both worlds- the progress and the history.

Concluding our tour, we ate at the Korean table where we had Korean food! Before leaving the bus, we were handed out pastry as gifts. It was truly a splendid experience. In line with that, thanks to K-Travel Bus, Changwon, Visit Korea, Kuya Chris, and Kuya Gibs for handing us over this opportunity to gain more memorable memories while we’re in South Korea! 감사합니다!